Many devices have been provided in the past for muffling the vocalizing of a human; e.g., to muffle voices during speech rehearsal, during the taking of testimony, etc. The present invention aims at muffling the cries of a baby, for example, without actually causing discomfort to the infant. By muffling the crying, especially during the night and early morning, picking up and walking the baby is avoided, a practice considered detrimental by some authorities on infant care. The muffler according to the present invention may be placed over the infant's mouth and held in place by an attending person. Provision is made so that the attending person's hand does not block air passages to and from the chamber within the muffler.
It is a significant feature of the invention to provide the muffler in the form of a globe-like member that is easily handled and further that may serve as a rolling or throwable toy, and especially as a toy rattle when not in use as a muffler. The member may be made of any suitable material, selected from among the known plastics, for example, thus providing a light-weight article that may be easily used and kept clean. It has no external moving parts, the only moving part being the internally disposed valve which cannot escape the hollow structure. The structure is provided with fixed, internal baffles which function as sound-attenuating means.